CASA - the contemporary a cappella society - "Shut Up And Sing" Wins At RI International Film Festival

"Shut Up And Sing" Wins At RI International Film Festival

Written by Bruce Leddy

Thursday, 31 August 2006

Samrat Chakrabarti and Camilla Thorsson in a dream sequence

PROVIDENCE, RI -- A cappella-themed indie film "SHUT UP AND SING" recently won the Audience Award/Best Feature at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. The film also garnered a First Place/Score which honored composer Jeff Cardoni, music supervisors Patrick Houlihan and Joe Rudge, and the singers who performed on the soundtrack: Sean Altman, Charlie Evett, Elliott Kerman, Wayne Wilkens, Michael Winther, and Kevin Weist. "It was a great turnout with lots of laughter," said writer/director Bruce Leddy of the Providence screening. "Being singled out among the 250 films that screened there is really flattering. I'm just thrilled that audiences are enjoying it so much." This is the film's second Audience Award, having been similarly honored at the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival earlier this year. In addition, the film has been selected as "Best of the Fest/Comedy" at the upcoming Breckenridge FilmFest in Colorado.

"Shut Up and Sing" is an ensemble comedy/drama about a group of guys who sang a cappella together in college and are reuniting fifteen years later to sing at a friend's wedding. The film stars Molly Shannon, Mark Feuerstein, David Harbour, David Alan Basche, Reg Rogers, Elizabeth Reaser, and Rosemarie DeWitt. The a cappella music supervisor was Sean Altman, formerly of Rockapella and currently of The Groovebarbers in New York City, among several other projects.

After the Breckenridge Festival on September 8th, the film will next screen at the 10th annual Hollywood Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival -- both in mid-October -- followed by the Fort Lauderdale (FL) Film Festival in November. For more information or to view the trailer go to http://myspace.com/shutupandsingthemovie